FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of a major winter storm expected to hit Kentucky Wednesday night through Friday morning, producing significant amounts of rain, sleet, snow and ice. A winter weather warning is in place across much of the commonwealth.
The powerful winter storm is expected to create difficult travel conditions on major interstates as well as state and local roadways. Tree damage and power outages may occur given the impacts from ice and wind. Snowfall of 1-2 inches is expected in northwestern and Northern Kentucky.
The National Weather Service at Louisville issued an ice storm warning for the Jackson Purchase and Pennyrile regions and most of the rest of Kentucky north of the Cumberland Parkway. Ice accumulations are expected to range from 0.25 to 0.75 inches.
A Flood Watch has been issued for portions of Central Kentucky from Thursday morning through late Thursday night, as the area is expected to receive 2.5-3.5 inches of rain.
The Governor also issued an executive order to protect Kentuckians from price gouging that can occur during an emergency with goods and services like gasoline, food and household items. This order activates the state laws that prohibit price gouging, and Kentuckians should report it to the Natural Disaster Fraud Hotline at 502.696.5485 or ag.ky.gov/pricegouging.
State Offices Closed ThursdayAfter declaring a state of emergency, Gov. Beshear said he was closing state office buildings Thursday, Feb. 3, to help keep thousands of employees off dangerous roadways.“Freezing roadways are extremely dangerous,” Gov. Beshear said. “I am closing all state office buildings and asking Kentuckians to stay off the roadways if possible, so crews can continue plowing and clearing roads.”
State employees should refer to guidance issued by the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet. If state employees have questions regarding the closure, they should contact their agency’s management or human resources office.Emergency Management ResponseKentucky Emergency Management has activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) and personnel from the Kentucky National Guard, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Kentucky State Police (KSP) and Kentucky Department for Public Health are monitoring the situation from the SEOC.
KYTC, KSP and the Kentucky National Guard are actively preparing for the storm and will be ready to respond.
The storm system began as rain, so roadways can’t be pretreated with brine and rock salt, because it would wash away. The Governor asked Kentuckians, if possible, to avoid travel as hazardous road conditions are expected.
KYTC asked for cooperation and partnership of the public, with four specific requests:
- Limit travel to what’s necessary when snow and ice are on the roads;
- Give snowplows and crew members plenty of room on the road;
- Ensure personal vehicles are winter-ready, with the recommendation of keeping an emergency kit in vehicles; and
- Mask up to slow the spread of COVID-19 and help protect against the quarantine of plow crews essential to roadway treatment.
Click here for more Kentucky business news.
